Deuteronomy 31:18 kjv
And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
Deuteronomy 31:18 nkjv
And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
Deuteronomy 31:18 niv
And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.
Deuteronomy 31:18 esv
And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.
Deuteronomy 31:18 nlt
At that time I will hide my face from them on account of all the evil they commit by worshiping other gods.
Deuteronomy 31 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Dt 31:16 | "And the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. This people will rise... play the harlot after the strange gods..." | Foreshadows Israel's apostasy. |
| Dt 31:17 | "Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed..." | Direct parallel to Dt 31:18. |
| Lev 26:17 | "I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies." | God's direct opposition due to disobedience. |
| Ps 10:1 | "Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" | A people's cry during perceived divine absence. |
| Ps 27:9 | "Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger..." | Plea for God's continued presence. |
| Ps 30:7 | "You hid your face; I was dismayed." | Experience of divine withdrawal. |
| Ps 44:24 | "Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?" | Lament during national distress. |
| Isa 59:2 | "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you..." | Sin as the cause of divine hiddenness. |
| Jer 2:13 | "for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns..." | The foundational sin of forsaking God. |
| Jer 16:10-12 | "What great evil have we committed, or what great sin have we committed... you have forsaken me and served other gods." | Idolatry as primary cause for judgment. |
| Ezek 39:23-24 | "And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity... Therefore I hid my face from them." | Exile explicitly linked to hidden face. |
| Micah 3:4 | "Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time..." | Unanswered prayer due to sin. |
| Dt 29:25-26 | "...because they had forsaken the covenant of the LORD... and had gone and served other gods." | Clear reason for covenant curses. |
| Jdg 2:12-13 | "And they forsook the LORD... and went after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them." | Historical pattern of apostasy. |
| 1 Sam 8:7 | "for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." | Rejecting God's rule. |
| Hos 5:6 | "They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them." | Failed seeking due to prior unfaithfulness. |
| Dt 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God... then all these curses shall come upon you." | The larger context of covenant curses. |
| Amos 8:11-12 | "I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread... but of hearing the words of the LORD." | Spiritual consequences of divine withdrawal. |
| Rom 1:21, 25 | "though they knew God, they did not honor him... they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature." | New Testament parallel to idolatry. |
| Rom 1:24, 26, 28 | "Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity..." | God giving over to consequences of sin. |
| Col 3:5 | "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you... and covetousness, which is idolatry." | Broadens understanding of idolatry for NT believers. |
| 1 Jn 5:21 | "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." | Continuing admonition against false objects of worship/devotion. |
Deuteronomy 31 verses
Deuteronomy 31 18 Meaning
Deuteronomy 31:18 is a prophetic declaration from the Lord to Moses concerning Israel's future unfaithfulness. It reveals God's response to Israel's anticipated turning away from Him to serve other gods. God states He will "surely hide My face" from them, signifying a withdrawal of His manifest favor, protection, and benevolent presence. This divine action is a direct consequence of "all the evil" they will commit, specifically their idolatry, which breaks the covenant. It foretells a period of hardship and calamity resulting from God's deliberate removal of His direct blessing and guidance, allowing the natural and penal consequences of their rebellion to take effect.
Deuteronomy 31 18 Context
Deuteronomy 31:18 is situated within Moses' final exhortations and warnings to Israel just before his death and their entry into the Promised Land. This chapter details Moses' handover of leadership to Joshua and records a pivotal moment where God Himself addresses Moses, foretelling Israel's future spiritual infidelity. Verses 16-21 explicitly state that after entering and settling the land, Israel will "play the harlot after the strange gods" and break their covenant with God. Verse 18 is a direct consequence pronounced by the Lord for this anticipated widespread apostasy. This passage sets the theological stage for understanding much of Israel's subsequent history recorded in the books of Judges, Kings, and Prophets, which chronicle their repeated cycles of disobedience, God's withdrawal, and subsequent judgment, leading ultimately to the exile. Historically and culturally, Israel was about to enter a land saturated with Canaanite polytheistic worship, often involving fertility cults. The concept of "hiding God's face" would have resonated as a direct antithesis to the benevolent divine presence they had experienced in the wilderness, signifying a severe covenant curse where God would turn away from them, leaving them vulnerable to hardship and their enemies, rather than shining His face upon them with favor and protection.
Deuteronomy 31 18 Word analysis
- And I will surely hide: וְאָנֹכִי הַסְתֵּר אַסְתִּיר (ve'anokhi haster astir). This is a strong emphatic Hebrew construction known as the infinitive absolute before the finite verb ("hide, I will hide"). It conveys absolute certainty and completeness. It indicates an active, determined withdrawal on God's part, not a passive absence. The verb "satar" (סָתַר) means to conceal, to hide, or to make secret. In this context, it implies God rendering Himself inaccessible or unapproachable in terms of direct favor, guidance, and protection.
- my face: פָּנַי (panai). The word for "face" (פָּנִים - panim) in Hebrew often denotes presence, person, favor, or attention. When God "hides His face," it signifies His deliberate turning away from His people, withholding His gracious favor, protection, and manifest communication. It is the opposite of His face "shining" upon His people (e.g., Num 6:25) or His attentive regard. This indicates a relational break, where the benefits of being in His presence are withdrawn.
- in that day: בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא (bayyom hahu). This phrase does not necessarily refer to a single 24-hour period but to a significant, indefinite future era or time period when the prophesied events (apostasy and its consequences) would unfold. It marks a decisive point in time or a prolonged period of divine judgment when their evil deeds reach a peak and God's patience has been exhausted.
- for all the evil: בְּכָל־הָרָעָה (bekhol hara'ah). "In/because of all the evil." "Ra'ah" (רָעָה) here signifies moral wickedness, spiritual depravity, and harmful actions. It is a comprehensive term for the sum total of their sinful conduct, particularly their idolatry. This highlights the cumulative nature of their transgression as the reason for God's action.
- which they shall have wrought: אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה (asher 'asah). This indicates actions or deeds they have committed or will commit. It emphasizes the active role of the people in causing the divine response; their actions are the direct trigger for God's judgment. The verbal tense suggests an act that will have been completed, setting the stage for the consequence.
- in that they are turned unto other gods: כִּי פָּנוּ אֶל־אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים (ki panu el elohim acherim). This is the explicit and ultimate reason for God's judgment. "Panu" (פָּנוּ), "turned," signifies a decisive turning away from the Lord and towards something else. It implies a disloyal shift of allegiance. "Other gods" (אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים) directly refers to the false deities and idols of the surrounding nations. This constitutes the ultimate betrayal of the covenant, particularly the First Commandment (Ex 20:3), which forbids worship of any other god before YHWH.
- "I will surely hide my face... in that they are turned unto other gods": This phrase group precisely links divine withdrawal (hiding face) to the specific sin of idolatry. God's response is presented not as arbitrary but as a direct, certain, and righteous judgment against their covenant unfaithfulness. The hiding of face is a deliberate act that allows the inherent destructiveness of sin, exacerbated by God's withdrawal of protection, to bring about calamitous results. It also signifies a temporary end to the visible or experiential manifestations of His protective and guiding presence.
Deuteronomy 31 18 Bonus section
This prophetic warning of God "hiding His face" became a recurring theme throughout Israel's history and in prophetic literature, serving as an explanation for national calamities, defeat, and exile (e.g., the Babylonian exile). It encapsulates the concept that the visible consequences of sin, like drought, famine, or military defeat, are often indicators of an invisible divine withdrawal, a temporary breaking of favorable divine-human communication. It teaches that the absence of God's felt presence or blessing is frequently a relational consequence of a people's active rebellion rather than a sign of God's indifference. The very act of hiding the face paradoxically reveals God's active involvement in maintaining covenant order and justice. While God hides His face, He remains sovereign and knows the distress that will come upon them (Dt 31:17). Furthermore, this divine hiding of face also points to a future hope where God promises to ultimately not hide His face again from His redeemed people (Ezek 39:29).
Deuteronomy 31 18 Commentary
Deuteronomy 31:18 is a sober pre-exilic prophecy revealing the certainty of God's response to Israel's anticipated spiritual rebellion. It highlights the principle that continued covenant faithfulness results in blessing, while apostasy, particularly idolatry, leads to divine judgment. God's act of "surely hiding His face" is not a sign of His non-existence or weakness, but rather a deliberate and emphatic withdrawal of His manifest favor, protection, and gracious presence. This is a punitive act, allowing the consequences of Israel's chosen path of wickedness and self-reliance to unfold without divine intervention or blessing. This withdrawal permits enemies to prevail, hardships to multiply, and general distress to descend upon them, making it evident that their plight is directly connected to their forsaking the true God for idols. It underscores God's holiness, His intolerance for divided allegiance, and the relational nature of His covenant. Despite the withdrawal, it is always linked to His ultimate purpose, sometimes leading to repentance, but often enduring until severe lessons are learned, exemplified throughout Israel's historical narratives. This verse is a stern reminder that while God is faithful, His people must also demonstrate faithfulness in worship and obedience.